JULY: This Month in Black History

July 12: This Day in Black History

1920: Beah Richards was born. She was an actress of stage, screen and television, a poet, playwright and author. She passed away in 2000 at age 80.

1936: Rose McClendon passed away. She was a leading Broadway actress of the 1920s. She was 51 years old.

1937: Bill Cosby was born. He is a comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. He turns 76 today.

1947: Jimmie Lunceford passed away. He was a jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era. He died of cardiac arrest at age 45 during an autograph session. There were rumors that he had been poisoned by a restaurant owner who was unhappy at having to serve a “Negro” in his establishment.

1951: “Fool, Fool, Fool” by The Clovers was recorded and would become a Number One hit.

1952: “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” by Lloyd Price & His Orchestra was the Number One R&B Song this day.

1952: The Chicago vocal quartet the Four Blazes charted with “Mary Jo,” reaching #1 R&B for three weeks. But the B-side, a smooth version of “Mood Indigo,” was the real gem.

1956: Shirley & Lee sang at the Carrs Beach Amphitheater in Maryland along with the Teenagers, the Cleftones, Carl Perkins and the Spaniels. More than 8,000 lucky fans got in to see them while an unlucky 10,000 were turned away.

1970: Juba Kalamka was born. He is an artist and activist recognized for his work and founding member of homohop group Deep Dickollective (D/DC) and his development of the micro-label Sugartruck Recordings. He turns 43 today.

1973: Rapper Melvin ‘Magoo’ Barcliff was born. He turns 40 today.

1979: Singer & songwriter Minnie Riperton passed away from breast cancer. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis and became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. She was 31 years old.

1980: Diana Ross bounced on to the Hot 100 with “Upside Down (#1). It was her fifth solo chart topper in ten years.

1989: The Disney Channel announced it was doing Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme. Included in the cast was Old King Cole himself, Little Richard.

1995: The O’Jays performed at the Universal Amphitheater in a benefit called Let’s Stamp Out AIDS.

2010: Pius Njawe passed away. He was one of Africa’s most celebrated journalist and founder of the newspaper Le Messager. He was killed in an auto accident at age 53.

2012: Cleveland Elam passed away. He was a former San Francisco 49ers defensive end and a two-time Pro Bowl selection. He was 60 years old.